remodeling for geeks

Building Codes

The foundation of all construction within city, county and state limits are building codes. Building codes are designed to protect you from bad construction, and ensure a minimum level of safety for construction, both structural, fire codes , and plumbing, both supply and waste for health.  
The problem with most cities, counties and states, is how much they hide this information, from homeowners, and how resistant they are to help folks who want to remodel.

Different parts of the country have different codes, such as Florida, for structural fasteners so the hurricanes do not blow your house away. California has codes for structure so that the earthquakes do not bury you and so on.

Until very recently, the only way you could get a copy of your building code was to go the bookstore and get something close, which does not have the additions and changes that every city seems to have to add to make them special.

For Folks in California is this website which has the California Building Codes.

Now if we can get the rest of the country to do the same, remodeling will be much better for all of us.

The Circular Saw - Making it Square

As I mentioned in Plumb Square and Level [1]  [2], our goal is to produce the best projects we can. Cutting things square in the beginning is the best way of getting your projects to turn out well.

It's great watching shows like Extreme Makeover, where they bang up a 6000 square foot house in only 7 days. Makes for great television, but what you don't see is the months of planning, that goes into getting the plans, permits,  site, materials and appliances and furniture  ready for 400 workers to descend on a jobsite, and get it done in that sort of time frame. 

Doing home improvement  projects are made a lot simpler and easier with a few techniques.

If you are going to do it yourself, the Circular Saw is a must have tool. They key to successful projects is to take your time. Take Your time. Take Your Time.

Making a 90 degree or square cut would seem to be as simple as setting your saw at the zero mark. Like Dirty Harry says "Do you feel Lucky?'' You might, but in my experience of owning dozens of saws over the years, (production framing and cutting wears them out. dropping them off roofs hurts too), there has always been room for improvement.

This is my corded Skilsaw  I have only had this one about six months. I cut a lot more than you probably ever will.  Most saws come with a cut guide stamped into the front of the 'shoe' or baseplate. Your saw probably has similar markings. The bottom of the photo shows the front edge of the saw with a series of stamped marks. The shoe is a piece of steel that is stamped and rolled.  Mass production at work. The 0 mark has a notch, which in a perfect world would allow you to cut perfectly. It is not and you won't. We will fix that.

The width of the notch indicates the cut line for 90 deg. (degrees) and may have some other use such as being the other side of the saw kerf. Behind the notch on this saw, is a cutout with a couple of teeth which should provide you with good cuts. Don't count on it. The variety of blades and the thicknesses from various manfacturers make this a vague guide better suited to letting you know which way is the cutline.

Setting your saw up to cut square is easy.

Step 1. UNPLUG IT! Make sure that you can see the end of the plug or the business end of the battery. There are no exceptions to this rule! Unless being called STUMPY is your idea of a good time

To check your saw, turn it upside down. Clamp the blade guard out of the way, adjust the factory guide to 0 degrees which is a 90 deg. cut.

This is my skilsaw set at 0 using the factory guide. The wingnut is the lock for the bevel adjustment.

 

Using the speed square, with the thick part flat on the shoe, we check our blade along the face between the teeth on the edge.

This is the real set of the blade using that guide. It is off 1-2 deg. Anything that you cut like this will have a bevel. One side will fit tight the other will have a gap. It is not square.

You can fix this.

Step 2.

See Step 1. First

Adjust the saw so the blade is at its maximum extension. This is where the body of the saw is closest to the shoe, or base plate. Turn the saw over. Clamp the saw behind the blade guard so that it is out of your way.

Note: This is the only time you should ever mess with the blade guard.

Clamp the saw behind the blade guard. You do not want to bend it, or break it.

Step 3. Loosen the bevel adjustment. (the knob at the front of your saw) Using your square, gently tap the shoe until the square is flat against the blade. If you cannot adjust the saw like this, Return It!

Tighten the wingnut. You are almost ready to cut. Here is my guide after tuning the saw. Almost the thickness of the stamped line.

Step 5.Release the clamp, letting the blade guard cover the blade, and turn your saw over. You are now ready to cut material. Every so often recheck the blade.

Happy Cutting.

The Circular Saw and the Secrets of the Kerf

Last post I described Square and the Swanson Speed Square. There are other brands made from other materials and you can buy what you want, but the Speed Square is the best bang for your buck. Now that you have your speed square and are familiar with  its operation, how do we cut our  material?

The Circular Saw

For this discussion I am going out on a limb here and believe that you have an electric circular saw, also known as a skill saw, It is also called sidewinder by production carpenters and framers, who use worm drive saws.  No brand recommendations other than ask around and spend wisely.
Here is my latest  saw. Standard size weight and features. I had to replace my old saw I bought 10 years ago, after using it with a masonry blade for saw cutting some concrete. Just flat burned it out.

Saws get priced by Horse Power and Amperage. The more of each you have the better.  For more money, there are some upgrades to the shoe and case, but these are not as important. This is a right handers saw. They do make left hand saws, but they are hard to find and usually more expensive. You do not need to go crazy and buy the most expensive saw in the store. The vast majority of you are remodeling your houses, not making a living as a framing carpenter.

NOTE: Unplug your saw anytime you adjust the saw, or change blades.

This goes for any electric tool. The pain in the butt this may represent is a gut wrenching orgasm compared to the pain, suffering and cost of cutting one of your fingers off.

If you are lucky and I use lucky advisedly, you may have made a clean cut, can find the missing finger, gotten to the hospital, have an Orthopedic surgeon able to reattach your finger, hopefully reconnecting the nerves and tendons, which may give you some feeling and movement back. Or you may be known as 'stumpy'.

What with costs, therapy, you will be out around $60,000.00 bucks,(per) No this is not a deal where you get to bargain a discount for multiple fingers.
You can buy a whole lot of remodeling for that money,

Unplug any electric tool anytime you adjust, or change tools.

When you buy your saw, buy new blades. The blade that comes with the saw is like the starter cartridges you get when you buy a new printer.  For this discussion, we will focus on carbide blades for cutting wood. 2x material and various panels like particle board and plywood.

Sawblades come in a  wide variety. For the purpose of  this  discussion  I will focus on  carbide blades for wood. They cut better, last longer, are quieter, and will give you the most value.

Secrets of the Kerf

This is the side view of a typical carbide blade. It has a number of teeth made out of carbide that act a chippers as the blade rotates. The more teeth, the smoother the cut. This is more important for cutting plywood, than cutting 2x material.

Looking at the business edge, note that the teeth are beveled and the bevels are angled. This is a double bevel blade. Every other tooth has the same bevel. This allows the blade to cut the material smoothly. Also notice that the teeth are wider than the body of the blade.

This is the kerf. This dictates how much material gets removed when you make your cuts.

This also creates a gap between the teeth and the body of the blade. This is important because the blade heats up, and so does  the wood as it cuts, causing the wood to expand. The kerf allows the blade to cut without binding, Binding causes the saw to work harder, shortning its life, and causing kickbacks, where the blade will kick the saw out of your cuts, and may destroy your material and hurt you.

Plumb, Square, and Level - 3-4-5 Right Triangle and the Swanson Speed Square

In our previous episodes in Plumb, Square and Level, I defined the terms, and then discussed Levels. Square is next up. I probably should have discussed Square first, as without square, plumb and level won't help you a whole lot. This is remodeling  and you are already used to having things backwards. 

moving on...

Almost everything that goes into houses from foundation, to trim relies on square in some form. Floors, walls, cabinets, windows, depend on square for proper fit, finish and operation. Raw materials such as plywoods, particle boards, sheetrock, paneling of all sorts, and lumber are manufactured square.

The first encounter with square was in ancient times with the discovery of the 3 4 5 right triangle.  If the short leg has 3 units, the long  leg 4 units, the line connecting the two end points will be 5 units. And you thought you would never have to use geometry. The good news is that for the purposes of remodeling, this is about all you will need.

This is how folks build square foundations, walls and rooms.  Inches, feet, meters, miles, it's the same. This is how you check floors, and walls before you nail them down.

The hands down must have tool for making square is the Swanson Speed Square.

This is the latest model. The inner triangle opening has notches and lines for measuring.They also put the inch lines on both sides. The two inner scales are for establishing cutlines for rafters if you decide to stick build your own roof. It also has a 45 degree angle on the back side. On that angle is a degree scale for other things.

Here is a side view of my old one. The t shape is what you place against the wood for establishing your lines. The small notch on the bottom is the pivot for marking angles if you are doing stick built roofing, which with trusses, is becoming a lost art.

You can also use it inside cabinets, door and window frames to check for square corners.

This is probably the second tool you buy after a hammer and before the circular saw.  

Plumb, Square, and Level Hand Held Levels

In achieving Plumb, Level and Square, Spirit Levels are a must have item for your home tool collection. They allow you to establish Plumb and Level quickly. Beam Levels come in a number of sizes from a few inches to many feet. The most useful for the remodeler are the 12'', 24'', and 48''. If you are hiring out your work, and your contractor or subcontractors do not have these in their tool kits, Run Away! You cannot set doors, windows or cabinets without them. Metal, Wood, Plastic, and fiberglass, are the predominant offerings. I am a metal guy. You can pay a little or a lot for them. You get what you pay for here as they are a ''precision'' tool. This is a hands on tool. I personally recommend that you buy these locally. There is a note at the bottom of this post on testing and buying.

Note about my recommendations. Everything I talk about from procedures to projects, I have done. Tools that I recommend I own. Bought and paid for. I don't accept products for testing, although some tools in the thousands of dollars range may weaken my resolve. Not likely to happen soon, though:)

Plumb and Level
Here is a photo of a 12'' beam level. This is a metal level, with a groove for round things like pipes and a magnetic strip on the bottom for using it with steel. For most folks this is probably the best bang for the buck as you can use it for cabinets to picture frames. It has a plumb vial, two level vials, and a 45 degree vial. Around 15 bucks.

The Level Vials Side View
This level has two vials. The one on the left is a standard level vial. When you place it on a horizontal surface and the bubble is in the middle between the two lines, you have level.
The vial on the right has a graduated scale for establishing slope.
It also acts as an additional check for level. This is an 'eye level' view, which will be useful depending upon your personal flexibility.

 

The Level Vials Top View
Here is the level view from the top. Here you can see the groove for using on round materials and the cutouts provided by the manufacturer to read the vials from above.
The graduations on the slope bubble on the right are in fractional inch measurements. These lines are in relationship to the level. In this case moving the vial to the first line, (1/8) establishes an 1/8" per foot slope. Slope is important where you need to provide gravity fed drainage. Patios, gutters, etc.

The Plumb vial works for your vertical applications. The 45 degree vial can be used for establishing Square over a small area, but there are better tools for this.
Like any other measuring  tool, do not bang it around, and keep it clean.

Note on Purchase: Before you buy a level, perform this simple test.

Level :Put the level against a wall, establish level, and draw a line. Turn the level end for end, move it to your line, and check that the level reads the same. If it does, you are good to go. If not, try another.

Plumb: Put the level against the wall, establish plumb, draw a line. Flip the level, move it to your line and check it. If it reads the same, you are good to go. If not, try again.

Don't be embarrassed or forget this. It's your money, and you are already doing things that are making folks with less grit laugh.

You now have enough information to make your part of the universe Plumb and Level.

Plumb, Square, and Level

The other day I was over at Dogs and Jen's Blog and saw this posting on the really bad experience she was having getting her cabinets installed. Cabinet Guy needs to find a new career like , "would you like fries with that?" Seriously.

House Bloggers are wonderful folks in terms of not being afraid to get their hands dirty, and wanting to do things themselves.  However a lot of things that go into remodeling do not get explained very well.
Remodeling is where you take something existing and change it to suit yourself. From a coat of paint to complete gut jobs, what you can do is limited only by your grit and knowledge.

The 3 cornerstones of construction and remodeling  are Plumb Square and Level.
Plumb Every wall in your house needs plumb. Plumb keeps your house from tipping over and falling down. Square Square is important so that the materials that you use and the cabinets you may install fit and work correctly. Level Level means not having things rolling around your house or falling off your counters. Two things to remember:

1. Your house is not square

Get over it. If you are real lucky it was well built and is close. From the foundation to the roof, gravity and the original construction is dictating what has happened over time.

2. Building Materials mostly are.

From bricks to lumber to plywood and drywall, most building materials are square and consistent in dimension. This is done at the manufacturing stage as it is more efficient and therefore cheaper. Manufactured products like plywood, particleboard, drywall are dimensionally stable, and for the purposes of this discussion can be considered so. Wood framing materials like 2x4'',2x6, and natural lumber are notorious in twisting moving, shrinking and settling. The biggest problem with any material is the installer. That would be you. Yes this is your house and at the end of the day, you are the where the buck stops. The more you learn the easier the jobs become. Over the next few postings I will discuss tools. Things you need so that Plumb Square and Level becomes a lifestyle.

Fun with Plywood

Having decided to build my own cases for DVD's,I built another one. I realize that I will need to build some book ends or some other sort of end as my collection builds so they are not flopping around. I am not a knick knack person so I don't have a large collection of figurines or other weird stuff to act as blocks for partially filled shelves. Besides. I am doing this because I already have a dust problem.

18mm plywood note: The 18mm plywood has a paper thin veneer which chips when you cut it. There are ways to minimize this. Beware, or plan the face sides. I used to work in an architectural millwork company and ran a Holzma Panel Saw. It had a scoring blade as well as a main blade for just such a deal. It had computer controls, air tables for moving material, and could cut 3'' of 5x10' material. Yes they make it that big.

I build my first paperback case the other day. I used 3/4" 7 ply A-C sanded plywood. It has a much thicker face than the 9 ply. Same deal with the shelves being a 1/2" smaller than the width of the books. 9 shelves. I filled this one up with the loose books floating around. I still have boxes I have not unpacked yet. Next to it is a standard birdshit particleboard bookcase. The plywood case is lighter, stronger, and fits my books better. I will be running the old cases to ReHabitat so somebody can use them until they build their own cases. I just happen to have one about a mile from the casa.

It's a dry heat. Tales of the Anti-Destination League.

Phoenix had it's first day over 100 yesterday. This week is looking to go down in the record books in triple digits.

I have mentioned before that remodeling is biblical in nature. One project begats another. Your idea is simple, replace some drywall and install a sink. Removing the drywall points out that the plumbing needs work, fixing the plumbing needs to have some carpentry, which means moving the electric, and so on. You get the idea.

The star player and cosmic trickster in remodeling is the Anti-Destination League. This occult organization is the single largest reason that time and budgets get blown out of the water. The ADL does things like making you have to go to the parts store 10 mins. before they close, and gives you red lights all the way. The material you have been looking for is mysteriously out of stock. The phone rings when you are on the ladder with one foot on the ladder and both hands full. You get the idea. Murphy is an agent of the ADL.

Of course, the Anti-Destination League had other plans. First up was the A/C unit which did not fire up. Good News! It was a thermostat. Second up was taking the herd, Flo the slavering jaws of death, Walnut, and Blackie to the vet for shots. What should have been a couple of hours, turned into an all day marathon of shots and surgeries, and prescriptions. Why the hell can't they make dog meds liquid?

Moving on...

Having gotten my tax refund back, and having a little breathing space between Projects for Others, I am hoping to work on the casa.
Specifically the movie room. The movie room has been framed up since 2005.

The west wall is where I am mounting my 42'' HD TV. The window will be getting a stained glass panel. This is also the room where I am installing a 'coffered' ceiling. I am still not sure if I am mounting the TV to the wall or if I will build a popup cabinet to hide the TV that will cover the window when the TV is raised.

The north wall is probably going to be bumped out a couple of feet and the archway made opened up a bit, and the DVD Cases built in to the walls. The other day I designed and built a DVD case. I need at least 2.

I still need to figure out what I am using for a door or drape for this opening. Plus I need to run the speaker wire for the surround sound.

The hall wall will get a pocket door, solving that problem.

Meanwhile I am looking at a solar tube for the kitchen, since putting the workshop on the back, the kitchen is almost as dark as a coal mine.
I am also learning how little space 10' really is, when you have a table saw and are cutting and ripping 4x8 sheets of plywood.

Cornerbead Finishes

Cornerbeads are the metals that protect and define your spaces when working with drywall. In remodeling as well as new work, intersections where beads meet, can be tough to blend. Case in point is the Guest Bath Towel Storage opening.
Opening
Here is the raw opening for the towel shelf. Because the wall already has an existing texture and the back side of the opening is rough, I will use 5/8'' 'J' bead to frame in this opening.

Bead
Here is the opening with the bead in place. It looks smooth, but the corners are not perfectly flat in relationship to each other. Because there is no backing behind this opening, I elected to glue the beads in place with PowerGrab, the best construction adhesive ever.

Prefill
To eliminate the elevation difference problem, I prefill the corners with mud, at a 45 degree angle to the corner.

Note: Here is where 5 minute speed set shines.

Starting from the inside of the opening and mudding onto the wall, I now have a smooth corner for the next coats. What is not shown in the photo is the mud that gets trapped on the bead inside the corner that you must remove.

Fill Coat
Here is our opening with the tape and mud in place. Using USG Dust Control mud, our new best friend in remodeling. I now have a flat face and a smooth inside corner without any ridges that would make this look bad. I am a bit anal about this because regardless how straight your walls are, how well you taped, having twisted, ridged, beads looks bad.

Here is our opening with the texture applied prior to painting. It will look great.

You can do this yourself. A little time and care, your house will look like a million bucks.

Guest Bath 3 Insulation and Backing

In working on the Guest Bath, insulating the walls was a given. Bathrooms are neck and neck with kitchens in being the noisiest rooms in most houses. In opening up the walls, we decided early on to replace the drywall on the back wall of the bathroom. It shares a wall with the guest bedroom, and is across the hall from the master bedroom.
Walls
The bathroom has three distinct wall thicknesses. The wet wall is 2x6, the long tub wall is 2x4 flat on the slump block, and the bath/guest bedroom party wall is 2x4.

Insulation
The wet wall is 5 1/2 fiberglass. the dry wall is 3 1/2 fiberglass and the long wall is 1 inch styrofoam.
The Styrofoam at 1 inch leaves a small air space, but compensates for the uneveness of the slumpblock and the mortar joints that were not cleaned up. Trying to flatten walls that have foam that is higher than the stud plane is a recipe for disaster. Not only will your fasteners 'pop', but your walls will not be flat. Since this is going to be tiled, this is really important.

It is already very quiet. We are also replacing the window with a dual pane slider unit.

Backing
Bathrooms get more abuse than almost any other room in the house. It pays to install backing for cabinets, fixtures, and towel bars. This photo shows 3/4'' plywood as backing for a shelf above the the toilet, and backing for the back of the pedestal sink.

We also installed backing on the dry wall for the towel bars. I made the backing wide and tall to give the client latitude for the shelf and to have enough for bolting the sink to the wall.